


New For You

by mg344



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Sex, F/F, Romance, pearlmethyst - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-03-19 21:34:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18978787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mg344/pseuds/mg344
Summary: Pearl is unexpectedly "gifted" a defective Amethyst after she's rescued from being shattered. Pink Diamond wants to encourage Pearl to express her own thoughts and desires, but Pearl isn't so sure she's up to the task of caring for an Amethyst.





	1. Independent Thought

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Pearlmethyst (obviously) AU where Pearl meets Amethyst during Era-1 on the earth colony, just as she and Pink Diamond are beginning to sow the seeds of rebellion. Amethyst is still teeny tiny, she's just apparently teeny tiny for some other reason besides being overcooked. If all goes according to plan, there will totally be sex happening, hence the rating.

It started with simple instructions from Pink Diamond.  
  
“Pearl, wait here a moment. I’ll be right back.”  
  
“Yes, my Diamond.”  
  
Pink Diamond followed a chatty agate through a door that opened and shut behind them, sealing Pearl inside the hallway by herself. She obediently stood where she was with her hands clasped together in front of her, although after a moment she allowed herself a furtive glance at her unfamiliar surroundings.  
  
It was a typical visit to the colony. One that Pink Diamond had distastefully put as “necessary” to “keep up appearances” with an eyeroll and a wry smile. Unlike during their secret visits to earth, Pearl and Pink Diamond were fully immersed in their Homeworld roles for the official visit. It was a role that had come naturally to Pearl for years, but one she felt she was slowly beginning to lose her grip on, as if being on earth had started to unravel her. Pink Diamond… Rose. She’d been encouraging Pearl, lately. Encouraging her to do more and think more. And because her Diamond willed it so, Pearl attempted to show independence. Although she didn’t know if being instructed to be independent was true independence or not.  
  
It wasn’t that she was incapable of thinking on her own. It was only that she was made and taught to cast aside her own feelings and thoughts on things. She was expected to be attuned to her Diamond’s needs. Creativity and unique wants and desires only seemed appropriate when they were serving her Diamond, such as when she suggested she take on the guise of Rose Quartz in the first place. But in her years of service, Pearl wasn’t certain she’d truly experienced a desire that was entirely her own. Or she didn’t, until that day.  
  
Unbeknownst to Pearl, someone had been studying her.  
  
Pearl, wrapped up in her own thoughts, hadn’t felt the pair of dark, curious eyes watching her from the wall. Amethyst was beginning to think she wouldn’t be noticed at all. It wasn’t proper to address a Diamond’s Pearl but considering that by that time tomorrow she would be shattered, she didn’t think there was much else they could do to discourage her from breaking the rules. She was scared, missing the other amethysts and desperate for company. The worst thing the Pearl would do was ignore her, which she could deal with.  
  
So she spoke.  
  
“I remember you.”  
  
Pearl jumped and turned her attention to the voice. Lining the hallway were several cells, unoccupied except for one with an obvious forcefield up to keep the prisoner inside. The confined gem hadn’t made a sound when Pink Diamond had walked past her cell and Pearl had been so preoccupied with her Diamond that she hadn’t taken notice of her.  
  
Pearl squinted through the pink-tinted field over the cell entrance and warily curled her hands up against her chest. The gem in question appeared to be an Amethyst, standing as close to the field as she could without getting a shock. She was a sorry looking Amethyst, if she was one. She was small enough to be considered defective by most standards and it was probably the reason she was there instead of out with the other soldiers.  
  
Pearl looked around again, to fully confirm that she was all alone with the Amethyst. There wasn’t another gem anywhere around.  
  
The skittish Pearl’s gaze returned to the Amethyst.  
  
“Are you speaking to _me_?” Pearl asked in disbelief.  
  
“Well, yeah. You see anyone else in here?”  
  
Pearl frowned.  Would her Diamond be pleased or disappointed with her for talking to an amethyst guard of her own free will? “I think you’re mistaken. We’ve never met.”  
  
“Oh… I could’ve sworn I saw you at the Prime Kindergarten.”  
  
Pearl took another look around before she took a few steps towards the prisoner gem. As a Diamond’s Pearl, she was rarely addressed by other gems. It was so rare in fact, that Pearl wasn’t certain if it was appropriate to respond to her. But she was curious. And the Amethyst was locked up, unable to do her any harm.  
  
“I guess that doesn’t make sense,” the Amethyst continued after giving it some thought. “Why would my Diamond’s pearl be hanging around in a place like that?”  
  
“Why are you in there?” Pearl asked, trying to change the subject. She’d walked up to the cell by that point and was standing just outside of it.  
  
“Uh… because I’m gonna get shattered tomorrow at first light,” the Amethyst admitted with a grimace.  
  
“Shattered for what?”  
  
“Bein’ too small.”  
  
“They’re going to shatter you for being defective?”  
  
“Yeah… said I made the army look bad.” The Amethyst glanced down. “But I didn’t do it on purpose, y’know? I guess it doesn’t matter.”  
  
“It doesn’t seem fair…” Pearl murmured. “There must be some other use for you, if not as an Amethyst guard.”  
  
“There’s a ton ‘a Amethysts around, so maybe it’s okay to shatter one or two,” the Amethyst muttered, bitterness in her voice.  
  
To Pearl’s complete surprise, the Amethyst’s large eyes began to well up with tears. Her large bottom lip began to tremble. She continued to stare at the floor, gritting her teeth and curling her hands into fists at her sides. Pearl didn’t know what to do as she watched. It seemed wasteful and cruel to shatter her just for looking different, if she was otherwise capable. But it wasn’t her call to make. Pearl had never really considered how a gem about to be shattered would _feel_ about it. She tried to imagine herself in the same position, but it was hard to imagine herself doing or feeling anything outside of being in service to the Diamonds.  
  
“It’ll be brief…” Pearl spoke after deliberating on what to say. “It won’t hurt. It’ll just be over quickly. You won’t feel anything…” She’d never had to offer real comfort to anyone before except for Pink Diamond. And as her pearl, it was part of her job to do so. But Pearl had no such obligations to an imprisoned defective Amethyst. She was at a loss as to why she was attempting to comfort the gem, even if it was a stunted sort of comfort.  
  
“Yeah… they keep telling me that…” the Amethyst sniffled. “That’s okay, I guess… I don’t want to make anyone look bad. It’s good that they’re gonna shatter me, isn’t it?”  
  
“Yes. It’s good,” Pearl agreed. She didn’t really think it was good at all, but she didn’t want Amethyst to know that. “You have to be brave.”  
  
The Amethyst nodded, mutely.  
  
The door at the end of the hallway opened and the sound of the agate talking excitedly to Pink Diamond broke into the silence as the pair approached Pearl. The Amethyst in the cell immediately saluted. Pearl stepped back from her cell and returned to the spot she’d been standing previously. Pink Diamond walked past her without beckoning her to follow but Pearl knew to and she fell into stride next to her. Still, she dared to glance over her shoulder at the Amethyst in the cell. Their eyes met for a brief moment. The Amethyst gave Pearl a grim, sad little smile. And then the doors shut, blocking Pearl’s view of the hallway. She looked forward and kept walking, trying to put the encounter out of her mind.  
  
But she couldn’t.  
  
\--  
  
“So I was thinking maybeee… we go back to Earth again,” Pink was saying excitedly as she paced around the floor of the moon base. “But with me as Rose Quartz again. I really want to get a better look at those things… those humans. That’s what they’re called, right?”  
  
“Y-yes my Diamond!” Pearl chirped. “They’re humans. Supposedly the most intelligent native species on the planet, although… nowhere near as technologically advanced as our species.”  
  
“I wish I could talk to them… I wonder if they’re afraid of gems. They’re so cute and small. I wish I could play with them!” Pink sighed. She slumped into her chair. “It’s so boring being cooped up here. My colony’s down there.” She gestured to the earth, clearly visible through the window. “I wish I could just _be_ there with everyone. It feels like there’s a party and I’m stuck in my room, not getting to go! I can’t believe Blue and Yellow can just sit in their towers and watch everything and not care.” She chuckled to herself. “But I guess Blue and Yellow are too _good_ to mingle with their subjects, right Pearl?”  
  
Pearl didn’t answer. Pink looked to the side where Pearl usually stood, only to find that she’d gone down the steps from the platform and was standing with her hand against the window, looking out at the moonscape. Her expression was melancholy in the reflection in the glass. Pink rose from her chair and stepped off the platform, coming up to stand behind Pearl, looking curiously at her. She waited a moment, but Pearl was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice her diamond standing right behind her.  
  
“Pearl, you’re sad…” Pink finally said, worriedly. Pearl whirled around to face her.  
  
“I-I’m not! I’m so sorry, my Diamond!”  
  
“Don’t lie to me,” Pink warned with a pout. “What’s wrong? You can tell me.”  
  
“Oh, but…” Pearl trailed off, feeling foolish.  
  
“Tell me, Pearl.”  
  
“It’s silly but I was just thinking of an Amethyst I spoke with today,” Pearl admitted.  
  
“What? When did we see an Amethyst, today?”  
  
“She was in a cell in the hangar in the Prime Kindergarten. She’s scheduled to be shattered shortly. If she hasn’t been already…”  
  
“Shattered for what?” Pink inquired, her eyes wide. “I didn’t know there was a gem being shattered. No one told me that!”  
  
“She’s undersized… I suppose it can’t be helped,” Pearl sighed. “But all the same, I felt… sorry for her. She cried. Seeing her like that was upsetting to me… I don’t know why but… for some reason I was moved by her.” Pearl was perplexed by her own thoughts. She wasn’t used to examining her reasons for feeling things.  
  
“What?” Pink Diamond took a step back, looking stunned. “They’re shattering an Amethyst for being too small? And without my authorization?” She laughed nervously. “Isn’t that something _I’m_ supposed to give?”  
  
“My Diamond…” Pearl began, suddenly feeling emboldened by Pink’s reaction to it. She gazed up at her Diamond and clasped her hands together, pleadingly. “I’ve never asked anything of you… and I’ll never ask anything of you again… I know it’s completely inappropriate… Entirely improper to ask anything of you… maybe even… putting my service to you at risk for even daring to ask such a thing.”  
  
Pink’s interest was piqued, and she crouched down to be closer to eye level with her Pearl. “Just tell me, Pearl,” she encouraged. She gave a small smile and reached out to her. Pearl flinched as Pink set her hand on her shoulder. “You can ask anything you want. I want you to be happy with me as your Diamond.”  
  
Pearl hung her head, ashamed none the less. But she gathered her courage and forced herself to meet Pink Diamond’s earnest gaze. “My Diamond… please can you spare this Amethyst? If it’s not too late? I don’t… think she should be shattered.”  
  
Pink looked uncomfortable as she thought of Blue and Yellow’s disapproval. “I don’t want any gems shattered either, at least not without my full permission and knowledge, but…”  
  
Pearl knew she was very out of line at that moment, but Pink had been encouraging her to think for herself and express herself. Pearl pushed it further. “I’ll… I’ll look after her!” she blurted out. “I’ll take responsibility for her!”  
  
“Look after her?” Pink gaped. “You?” She looked incredulous. “Pearl, Amethysts are really nice but… they’re very needy.”  
  
“I will!” Pearl insisted. “I’ll take care of her, my Diamond!” She didn’t know what that would have entailed exactly, but Pearl didn’t have time to think things through. Time was off the essence.  
  
“You want that Amethyst?” Pink asked. “You want her _here_?”  
  
“Y-yes!” Pearl stated.  
  
Pink bit her bottom lip. “Would that… make you happy again?” she asked, uncertainty edging into her voice.  
  
Pearl nodded vigorously. “It would, my Diamond! It would make me happy! Yes!”  
  
Pink let out an uneasy sigh but pulled a smile. “Then we’d better go right now and get her.”  
  
\--  
  
The Amethyst’s body had been poofed and her gemstone was laid out on its side on the surface of an anvil. Standing over it was an anxious looking quartz, holding a hammer in preparation to shatter the gem as she’d been ordered to. As she was about to bring the hammer down, a voice stopped her hand.  
  
“Stop the shattering!”  
  
She glanced up and then stumbled in surprise. Pink Diamond was standing right there in the kindergarten, looking sternly at her. “My Diamond?” the quartz stammered.  
  
“That’s an order,” Pink added, firmly.  
  
“Y-yes, my Diamond!” The quartz stepped back from the anvil and performed the Diamond salute. Pink Diamond glanced down at her Pearl standing anxiously at her side.  
  
“Pearl, you may go take her gem,” Pink instructed with a little smile. Pearl nodded and she hurried over to the anvil, taking the gemstone in her hands.  
  
“If we’d taken a moment longer, we would’ve been too late…” Pearl whispered. She cradled the gem against her cheek. “I’m glad you’re alright.”  
  
Pearl only half-listened to the ensuing conversation between Pink and the quartz. Pink demanding to speak with the quartz’s supervisor, the quartz stammering apologies. Pearl calmly stepped onto the warp pad and waited dutifully for her Diamond to finish her business. Pink joined her a few minutes later, looking weary.  
  
“That quartz and her supervisor said they were only following orders,” Pink muttered. “But I don’t know who’s orders they were.”  
  
Pearl said nothing.  
  
“They swore up and down that I ordered the shattering,” Pink continued, shaking her head. “Does that seem like me?”  
  
“No, my Diamond!”  
  
“I think one of the others stepped in…” Pink scowled. The others being one of the other Diamonds. They’d been meddling ever since Pink had started the colony, undermining her authority and making her doubt her abilities. Pink stomped her foot down, angrily. “I can’t believe this! And it’s only because of luck that we even found out about this one. I hate to think how many other gems were shattered. I hope not many…”  
  
Pink deflated and glanced down at Pearl, who was still holding the gem to her cheek. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Pearl only looked pleased by the outcome and she was scarcely able to pick up on Pink Diamond’s worry and frustration. Pink watched and she felt herself soften a little. Pearl was happy, so she was happy. It was worth it.  
  
Pearl activated the warp pad at Pink Diamond’s nod, and they headed back to the Moon base with another gem in tow. It was only when they arrived inside the lowest level of the Moon Base, surrounded by the murals of the Diamonds, that Pearl began to understand the gravity of the situation that she’d put herself in.  
  
As they ascended the stairs, Pearl nervously trailed behind her Diamond. She wasn’t cuddling Amethyst’s gem in her hand anymore but was simply holding it at her side, a numb feeling overtaking her. Her eyes became distant as she started thinking about just how out of line she’d been. Even if Pink Diamond was nice to her, it had been completely inappropriate. She was Pink’s second Pearl, a do-over. She was supposed to be a better Pearl than her first had been. But she’d only been following orders by… wanting something. And telling her Diamond what it was.  
  
Pearl felt horribly confused, almost like she was on the verge of her mind breaking as her thoughts took her around and around without any real resolution.  
  
As if sensing that her Pearl’s excitement was wavering, Pink slowed in her walk and glanced over her shoulder with a wide grin. “I can’t believe we did this!” she exclaimed. Her excitement was infectious enough that Pearl felt an uneasy smile quirk her lips. “An Amethyst, here in the Moon Base with us? It’s so… unheard of. Ooh… Blue and Yellow will be _so_ mad!”  
  
“My Diamond…?” Pearl inquired as they arrived on the top floor of the base. “I don’t know if…”  
  
Pink gave Pearl a curious look.  
  
“I don’t know if I’m capable of giving an Amethyst the attention she might need,” Pearl spoke, feeling ashamed of herself. She held out the gem to Pink, hoping she would take it. “Maybe this was a mistake. I-I’m sorry…”  
  
Pink was surprised by the reaction and she turned and knelt in front of Pearl. “Hey… there’s no pressure, okay? Look, I’m her Diamond. She’s never going to feel totally comfortable with me, anyways.” Pink said that with a touch of regret in her voice. “But you two already have a rapport.”  
  
“If you can call it such a thing,” Pearl answered.  
  
“I know you’re capable of helping this Amethyst feel comfortable,” Pink continued. “She doesn’t have anywhere else to go, now. She’s probably better off with you than anywhere else they might have put a defective gem like her.”  
  
“E-even so!” Pearl felt foolish, already prepared to renege on their deal so abruptly. But she was terrified of the prospect of having to care for another gem. Once her “rescue high” had worn off, the reality was setting in. Pink Diamond was so warm and caring. Pearl felt like she was very much the opposite of that. Emotionally stunted and wholly unprepared to give an Amethyst whatever affection she was going to need. “You don’t truly mean to give me an Amethyst, do you?”  
  
“She’s yours.”  
  
“What would I do with her?” Pearl asked. She couldn’t fathom what kind of orders she could give to an Amethyst guard. Was she supposed to be the servant of a servant? Would an Amethyst even listen to her?  
  
“You could be her friend?” Pink suggested.  
  
“Her friend?” Pearl echoed. It sounded, again, very strange to her. But stranger things had happened that day already.  
  
Pearl blushed heavily, casting her gaze down to the gem she still gripped firmly in her hand. She raised her hand to look at it and it caught the light in the room in a way her own gem didn’t do. Pearl studied the gem and turned it over in her hands, watching the light play over the smooth, pretty, faceted surface. “What do Amethysts need?” Pearl asked.  
  
“You know that,” Pink answered. “Lots of support. Hugs, affection… they get that from their fellow quartzes, typically. That’s how they bond with each other.”  
  
“Right…” Pearl agreed, feebly. She knew that much. Everyone knew that. She drew in a breath, to gather her courage. “I’ll do my best.”  
  
“You’ll be fine,” Pink assured her, smiling. “This is so exciting! An amethyst friend! Amethysts are so cute! I can’t wait to hug her! Oh… as long as it’s okay for me to hug her.”  
  
It was strange having Pink Diamond ask her for permission for anything and Pearl wasn’t sure she liked the role reversal all that much. “O-of course you can hug her!” Pearl stammered. She felt as though they were both getting ahead of themselves. But she’d stalled for as long as she could. Pearl knew she had to swallow her reservations and just allow the Amethyst to reform herself, so she could explain what was going on to her.  
  
“I suppose I should…” Pearl moved to put the gem down on the floor but Pink’s hand reached out to stop her.  
  
“Just a moment,” Pink said. Pearl raised her eyes, curiously. “I’m going to go downstairs so the two of you can get acquainted more… organically. Without my presence.”  
  
Pearl felt whatever meager confidence she’d had beginning to drain away. “B-but my Diamond!” she begged. “What if… what if she’s upset?”  
  
“If you need me, call,” Pink answered. “But bring her down when you’re both ready.”  
  
“Yes, my Diamond. Thank you… for doing this.” Pearl lowered her head, feeling all at once shy and again ashamed for her behavior.  
  
“You did something for me,” Pink replied, sincerely. “And I can’t thank you enough for it…”  
  
Pearl blushed. “I only wanted to make you happy. It’s part of my function as a Pearl.” She regretted saying the second part because Pink’s face fell at the words.  
  
“Right…” Pink agreed, looking away in disappointment. “Well I’ll be… just downstairs.” And she descended the stairs into the second floor, leaving Pearl to stand alone in the control room.  
  
Pearl internally chastised herself for being so flippant with her words. She was in a double bind. Pink Diamond clearly wanted to encourage her to have independent thoughts and desires, but only if they were thoughts and desires that she approved of. It meant that Pearl was always running the risk of offending her Diamond or hurting her feelings, as she’d clearly just done without meaning to.  
  
Pearl knelt on the floor and set Amethyst’s gem carefully down. She took a few steps back. Almost immediately, Amethyst’s gem began to glow and float up, signaling she was about to reform. Pearl waited, anxiously.  
  
Amethyst landed back on her feet but lost her footing right away and stumbled backwards, landing on her butt on the floor. She winced and put a hand to her head, confused. “Am I still alive…?” she groaned. Pearl cautiously stepped closer to her, the movement getting Amethyst’s attention.  
  
“It’s you…” Amethyst realized, looking stunned. She didn’t appear to be angry, just in complete surprise. Then she took notice of where she was and cast a few fearful glances around her. “Wait, where am I? Where did you bring me?” Pearl was tense all over her body. She tried to explain things quickly.  
  
“You’re safe, Amethyst…” Pearl spoke softly. “You won’t be shattered. You’re on Pink Diamond’s moon base.”  
  
“ _You_ brought me here?” Amethyst asked.  
  
“Yes… my Diamond and I,” Pearl said. She knelt down in front of Amethyst who immediately tensed up and scooted back from her.  
  
“Pink Diamond’s _here_?!” Amethyst panicked. “What do you want with me?!”  
  
Pearl withdrew in the face of Amethyst’s outburst, as was her nature to do so. But she tried to get closer again. Amethyst watched her, warily. “I just…” Pearl faltered. “I just didn’t want you to be shattered. And I know you didn’t want to be shattered, either.”  
  
“ _Why_?” Amethyst asked, sounding hopelessly confused, almost on the verge of tears. “Why do you care? The planet’s crawling with Amethysts. Good ones.”  
  
“I know, but…” Pearl was frowning, trying to sort out her thoughts and put them into words. “You were crying.”  
  
“ _That’s_ why you saved me?”  
  
“And you saw me.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“You saw me. You noticed me. No one’s ever…” Pearl trailed off, shaking her head. “I don’t know why that should matter to me…”  
  
Amethyst had relaxed a little and she snorted a laugh. “Is it that weird that I’d notice you? You’re like, a really pretty Pearl.”  
  
Pearl giggled, to her own surprise. She was confused by it but felt a bit of her tension drain.  
  
Amethyst laughed as well, feeling just as awkward and confused as Pearl. She took a moment to take a longer glance around. She wasn’t totally sure where she was, but she started to believe she was safe there. “So wait, you actually just _asked_ Pink Diamond to come and save me?” Amethyst asked.  
  
Pearl blushed and lowered her head. “Y-yes…”  
  
“Wow…”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Well you just… really stuck your neck out for me,” Amethyst said. “Like, a lot. For someone you don’t even know.”  
  
“I suppose I did…” Pearl admitted. “But I think it was the right thing to do.” She bit back a shriek of surprise when Amethyst suddenly lunged for her. Pearl almost reacted by pushing her back, but then Amethyst gathered her up in a crushing bearhug, lifting her up off her feet. She excitedly bounced, grinning widely.  
  
“THANK YOU, PEARL!”  
  
“Y-you’re welcome,” Pearl squeaked, taken aback by her huge reaction. She unsuccessfully fought a blush that overtook her entire face. She realized she’d have to get used to those sorts of actions from Amethyst. She needed lots of love.  
  
Pearl just hoped she was capable of giving it to her.

 


	2. The triad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst gets to know her Diamond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written on Word and also in Gmail, so there are instances where the quotes go between smart and dumb quotes. Hopefully it's not TOO distracting. Thanks to those who are reading!

It took a lot of reassurance to get Amethyst to come down into the Mapped room to meet her Diamond. Pearl had almost exhausted her patience, trying to coax the gem.

Amethyst’s hand had nudged its way into Pearl’s and she gripped it tensely as they descended the stairs. Pearl didn't protest the contact since it seemed to give Amethyst some reassurance and it seemed to be the only way to get her to go anywhere. Almost immediately, they could see Pink Diamond amusing herself with the seeing orb. She’d projected a lush nighttime jungle scene all around her. The exotic plant life swayed in the calm evening breeze. The air was buzzing with the hum of frogs and insects. Fireflies hovered and flickered around the room. Amethyst tried to swat at one as it passed but her hand went through it.

Pearl took note of the fact that Pink Diamond wasn’t observing her colony at all. There wasn’t a gem or gem structure in sight in the projection. It was a projection of the wild, uncivilized fringes of their colony, where gems hadn't yet made their presence known. But then something bright and orange lit up the deep blue shadows. A tribe of humans appeared, several of them carrying torches to light the darkness. They spoke to each other in hushed voices as they walked single file through the dense foliage. And all the while, Pink watched the scene in wonderment. Her diamond-shaped pupils were lit up as she followed the flames the humans were carrying.

As the line walked through the room, completely unaware that they were being watched, one of the humans to emerge from the haze caught Pink’s attention. It was a human woman, carrying her baby on her back as the infant dozed. For some reason, Pink actually got to her feet and followed what she hadn’t yet recognized as a human mother and her baby. She walked alongside her until the projection reached the wall, and the woman stepped through it like a phantom, disappearing from view. Pink Diamond touched her hand to the wall and leaned heavily against it, sighing. She slid down along her back into a sitting position on the floor. She let the back of her head rest against the wall. And then she noticed Pearl and Amethyst standing nearby.

Pink leapt to her feet and rushed to the orb, turning it off and ceasing the projection. “I-I was just...!” she stammered, her cheeks coloring. She lowered her head and looked away. “I was just watching them.”

Amethyst cocked her head to one side, struck by the wrongness of the situation. Not so much that her Diamond was observing humans, but that she seemed embarrassed about being caught. Any time she had ever inquired as to why a Diamond did anything, she was always told that their Diamond was always right and she never had to explain her actions to gems on a lower rung. To Amethyst, it seemed like Pink Diamond could do anything she wanted on her own colony and not be embarrassed about it. But she was. Like she cared what she and Pearl thought of her. That didn't seem right to Amethyst. That her Diamond would care.

Pearl cleared her throat, deciding it better to gloss over the scene and do what she’d come for. Amethyst was still clutching one of Pearl's hands. With her free hand, Pearl gestured to Amethyst. “My Diamond, may I present Amethyst Facet-5, Cut 8XM.”

Amethyst reluctantly released Pearl’s hand and stepped forward, performing the salute as Pink Diamond approached her. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say to a Diamond or what her Diamond would be interested in hearing from her. She averted her eyes as Pink Diamond sized her up.

“Oh my stars, she’s so small!” Pink Diamond exclaimed suddenly. Amethyst looked up at her. Pink Diamond was grinning. “You’re the smallest Amethyst I’ve ever seen!”

Amethyst felt herself blush and she pressed her lips together, feeling self-conscious.

Pink took notice of her reaction and immediately back-pedaled. “That’s not a bad thing, I mean! It’s wonderful!”

Amethyst was surprised. “It... is?”

“Yes! You're so... different. So unique. It's exciting, isn't it?"

“I... I guess so, my Diamond,” Amethyst mumbled. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Pearl.

“I'm really happy to be able to meet you,” Pink Diamond continued, getting Amethyst's attention again. She sounded earnest. She was crouching on her knees with her hands on her thighs, regarding Amethyst with a nervous smile. "You don't have to keep saluting. Your arms will get tired after a while."

Amethyst let her arms drop but it left her unsure of what to do with them instead. She began to play with her fingers.

"My Pearl seems to have really taken a shine to you," Pink explained, casting a smirk at the Pearl standing nearby.

"Yeah, I don't really know why, though..." Amethyst admitted.

"Do you like Pearl?" Pink asked.

"Uh..." Amethyst glanced over at Pearl once again. "Well, yeah..." She smiled.

"How'd you like to stay with me and Pearl from now on?" Pink suggested.

Amethyst rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah that, uh... that sounds okay," she mumbled.

"You'll be here for Pearl," Pink explained. "I brought you here for her. I know you two will get along well."

Amethyst looked bemused and she put her hands on her hips, giving Pearl a look. "What? Am I like your pet or something, Pearl?"

Pearl hurried over then. "Nothing of the sort!" she insisted. "But... my Diamond thinks- I-I think..." Pearl twisted a lock of her peach hair between her fingers, keeping her gaze shyly averted. "...that this might be a good place for you, in lieu of... well, being shattered."

"Yeah... maybe..." Amethyst relented, looking between Pink and Pearl. "So what are my uh, orders?"

"Pearl?" Pink asked.

"O-orders? Me?" Pearl squeaked. "O-oh, I um... eh..." She faltered under their two expectant gazes. Pink Diamond was really doing this.

Amethyst grinned and saluted Pearl. "What will you have me do, my Pearl?" she asked. To her delight, it only made Pearl squirm and fluster all the more, to the point of speechlessness. But Amethyst only let Pearl flail around for a moment before she took pity on the skittish gem and took a step towards her, setting a hand on her arm. "You want me to uh, guard you or something?"

"G-guard?" Pearl asked.

"Well yeah!" Amethyst stood back, gesturing to herself. "I'm an Amethyst, that's like... what I do, right? Check it out! I even got a built-in weapon!" She summoned her weapon from her gem in a flash of purple light. She cracked her whip on the floor, to demonstrate. Pearl jumped at the sound.

"O-oh but... you..."

"What?" Amethyst gave Pearl a flat look. "Oh, I get it. You think I can't do it because I'm small, right?"

“That’s not at all what I said or even thought!” Pearl exclaimed, bristling. “I was just thinking that I’m not sure I require a guard, that’s all.”

“It’s a nice weapon, though,” Pink observed. “Amethyst, what would you like to do?”

“What would I like...?” Amethyst asked, confused. “I don’t know what you mean, my Diamond.”

“Does being a guard make you happy or is there something else you’d rather be doing?”

Amethyst looked baffled by the question. “Well, I was made for-“

“Stop thinking about what you were made for, for a second,” Pink instructed. “We can see you’re a capable guard. But... just suppose you didn’t have any direct orders to do anything. What would you do? For fun?”

“For fun...?” Amethyst scratched her head as she mused over it. It took her a good few minutes of hemming and hawing before she could come up with an answer. Pink Diamond waited patiently the entire time.

“I guess... well, I like doing Amethyst stuff. Guarding and fighting. It makes me feel useful. I like feeling like I fit in somewhere. I wouldn’t want to be useless to anyone because then... I don’t know where I’d go or what I’d do.”

Pink Diamond nodded. “Go on,” she encouraged.

“I guess I also like just... the other amethysts. Being with them. I miss them. They feel like...” She struggled to come up with an adequate word. “They feel like I’m home.”

“What did you do with the other amethysts?” Pink inquired.

“Heh, well... I mean, nothing much. We didn’t have a ton of down time. But just like..." She trailed off, her face darkening in a blush. Pearl raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, just like talk and uh, wrestle and pranks and stuff like that, I dunno..." Amethyst mumbled. "It's weird though. I've never really been around other gems, not like for very long. It's weird because with other amethysts, we all just kinda like the same stuff. I'll go 'oh, that's a pretty flower' and they'll all just agree. We're all the same, we all just get along and it's not a big deal."

Pink perked up. "You like flowers, Amethyst?"

"Flowers are okay... yeah... some of them I like..." Amethyst admitted, still feeling flustered that her Diamond was taking such an interest in her.

Pearl was observing the entire exchange between Pink Diamond and Amethyst. Pink Diamond was incredibly adept at probing gems for information and getting them to open up. It was a skill she'd used a few times and Pearl was always in awe of it. Pink seemed to find it funny.

"It's easy, Pearl!" she'd said with a laugh. "You just have to be interested in other gems and what they're feeling!"

"Do you have a favorite flower?" Pearl suddenly interjected. She saw Pink Diamond grin.

"There's one that comes out in the spring," Amethyst answered. "It grows in small bunches, in different colors but usually white or purple. They smell so good. I don't know what they're called though. The humans said it once but-"

"You've talked to humans?!" Pink gasped.

"Uh... yeah?"

"Like, talked to them? Actually talked to them?"

"A bit." Amethyst shrugged.

"Can you tell me anything about them?" Pink asked, excitedly. "What are those little things they carry with them?"

"Little things?"

"Those bundles... those animals..." Pink tried to clarify. She made a round shape with her hands. "They have big eyes and tiny fingers and toes."

Amethyst blinked a couple of times. "You mean babies?"

Pink sat back, looking awed. "Babies..." she murmured. "What are they?"

"They're humans."

"Those are humans?!" Pink asked, disbelieving of it. "But they're so different looking from... the other ones."

Amethyst chuckled. "Well yeah, that's what they all look like at first! They get bigger. They turn into regular humans over time."

Even Pearl was intrigued by the idea, and she didn't typically share her Diamond's interest in the native species of the planet. "You mean humans are capable of shapeshifting?" she asked.

"I dunno if it's like that, it's uh..." Amethyst thought about it. She crouched down near the floor and raised her hand from the floor a few inches. "It's like Pearl, if after you were made, you started out this big. But then you started to get bigger..." Amethyst moved her hand up, getting to her feet and standing on her tip toes to demonstrate Pearl's height. "But it happened so slowly that no one could actually see it."

"You mean humans change?" Pink asked, giddily. Her eyes were wide and starry. She put her hands to her cheeks. "That's incredible! I had no idea!" She dropped down to lie on her stomach in front of Pearl and Amethyst. "So what you're saying is that all the humans started out as... as babies? Every one of them?"

Amethyst laughed. "Well... yeah! That's what they do."

"I'll have to update our files," Pearl said.

Pink was brimming with excitement and she grabbed both Pearl and Amethyst by an arm and charged up the stairs into the control room. She dropped Pearl and Amethyst next to her chair and sat in it, bouncing gleefully as Pearl activated the interface to retrieve their file on humans. Pearl was smiling, happy to see that Pink Diamond was happy about something. Perhaps all Amethyst had to do for them was entertain their Diamond with her earth knowledge and that would be enough. Just as Pearl was beginning to input the information, the Diamond communicator began to chime, with Yellow Diamond's symbol lighting up and blinking. Pink Diamond and Pearl shared an anxious glance. Pink's excitement dissolved off her face and was replaced with a stoic expression. "Pearl, take Amethyst out of here and hide her and stay quiet," she instructed.

"Yes, my Diamond!" Pearl affirmed. She took Amethyst by the hand and led her back down the steps, with Pink Diamond looking out from behind her chair until both of them were out of sight.

Amethyst went along with Pearl without any struggle, but she was curious about the sudden change in mood. Once they'd arrived back in the Mapped Room, Pearl released Amethyst's hand. "We'll just stay here until our Diamond calls for us," Pearl murmured, casting a worried glance upwards.

"Why do I need to hide?" Amethyst asked. Pearl didn't answer and Amethyst persisted. "Hey, Pearl? How come I have to hide down here? What's going on?"

Pearl linked her fingers together in front of herself and remained quiet. She felt Amethyst nudge her side.

"Pearl!"

"Be still!" Pearl hissed. "Our Diamond ordered us to stay quiet."

Amethyst sighed and she stood next to Pearl, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just wanted to know why, that's all," she groused at a lower volume.

"Because Pink Diamond said so, that's enough," Pearl answered, agitated.

Amethyst pouted and said nothing else. They stood side by side until Pink Diamond came back into view, descending the stairs slowly. Pearl hurried to her side, ready to assist. "My Diamond, is everything alright?"

"Yellow requested an audience with me... face to face," Pink sighed. "She must know about the shattering. She must."

"She may not," Pearl answered. "It might be regarding some other matter entirely."

"I guess you're right..." Pink muttered. "I have a bad feeling, though."

"I'll have us warped to her colony at once," Pearl offered. Pink Diamond raised her eyes to rest on Amethyst, who was still hanging back and pouting over Pearl's reaction.

"I'll go on my own, Pearl... you need to stay with Amethyst. She can't be alone."

"What?" Pearl looked over at Amethyst. "Why not?"

"Amethysts can't be alone, it's not good for them," Pink answered. "I'll go alone, I'll be fine. Stay here and take care of her. That's what you're supposed to do, remember?"

"But I..." Pearl started to protest but thought better of it. Submissively she bowed and took a step back from Pink. "Yes, my Diamond."

Pink didn't say anything else. Her demeanor had completely changed and she walked herself to the warp pad as though she were walking to her own doom. Pearl gave her a limp wave as Pink warped away. Pearl decided that the best course of action was to proceed with updating the files on humans, in the hope that Pink Diamond might be happy with that when she returned. She headed for the steps to the Control room and paused, turning her body. Amethyst was still standing where she'd been, eyeing her with a betrayed expression. "Come along, Amethyst," Pearl commanded. She turned and began to climb the steps. Amethyst scowled and she dragged her feet, following Pearl up the stairs.

Pearl returned to the panel, activating it once again and projecting the screen into the air above them. She sifted through the human files, of which there were few available. Much of the information about the planet's dominant species was unknown. The gems had evaluated the humans in the early days of their invasion and had deemed that they weren't a threat. And truly with their rudimentary tools and weapons, their soft bodies and their limited lifespans, they hardly seemed worth getting to know. Especially since, if everything went according to plan, the earth would eventually become a full-fledged gem colony with no room for human life, or any organic life at all. It didn't bother Pearl, but it seemed to perturb her Diamond. And Pearl didn't like anything that upset her Diamond.

"Can I go back to Prime?" Amethyst asked, abruptly. Pearl pursed her lips as her hands moved to sort through various holographic projections.

"Mm... that's not for me to decide, Amethyst."

"Pink Diamond made you take me," Amethyst accused. Pearl dropped her shoulders, groaning.

"I asked our Diamond to spare you," Pearl told her. "And I said that I'd take care of you."

"I don't need you to take care of me, I'm not a baby."

"I don't know what that means," Pearl answered, coolly. She gasped when Amethyst suddenly came up beside her and slapped her hand down on the interface, interrupting the files and causing them to turn red. Pearl turned and glared. "Amethyst! I'm trying to do my work!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Amethyst asked, angrily. "I'm bored!"

Pearl's eye twitched. "Just go stand over there and be quiet!" she shouted, gesturing off the platform. "I'm not here to entertain you."

Amethyst walked off the platform and went to the far side of the room, dropping into a sitting position and crossing her arms over her chest. Pearl went back to work, much more frazzled. She realized that her hands were shaking and it was making it difficult to do anything. She wrung them together, flexed and released her fists, but found it to be no use. And her shaking hands only frustrated her more, to the point that her eyes began to get that familiar but unwelcome stinging in them that signaled tears were on the way.

Pearl's internal voice always curiously sounded like Pink Diamond, rather than her own voice. "Just take a step back," it said, speaking slowly. "Just relax."

She took a step back from the panel, gripping her wrist and trying to steady herself. Feeling defeated, Pearl turned off the holograms and took a few steps down the platform stairs, sitting on one. Amethyst watched her from where she was and she got to her feet. "Hey... uh..."

Pearl looked up at her, then looked away.

Amethyst climbed up the steps and cautiously took a seat next to Pearl, who flinched away from her and tried to turn her body from her. She was still gripping her wrist, digging her fingers into it until it was painful. Amethyst realized Pearl's body was trembling. "Pearl...?" Amethyst asked, concerned. "Hey, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be a jerk." She raised her hand to touch Pearl's shoulder and again Pearl violently shrank back from Amethyst, leaving Amethyst to simply hold her hand out in midair. "What? Are you scared of me?"

Pearl hugged her arms around herself and squeezed herself down into as small of a space as she could possibly occupy. "Yes, when you violently slam your hands down on things and shout," Pearl said through grit teeth. Amethyst looked surprised.

"No, that was just..." she trailed off, though. Pearl continued to eye her, distrustfully. Amethyst remembered then, that Pearl was a Pearl and she was a quartz. Even if she was a defective quartz, she was still made for fighting. She was stronger than her, and Pearl had no means to defend herself. Amethyst's shoulders fell. "Wow... Pearl, I'm... I'm sorry," she said again, with more sincerity. "I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't trying to do that at all. I'm like this all the time with the other amethysts and I... I didn't really think how it came across. That I was actually scary or anything."

Pearl tried to will herself to relax. "You're not..." she mumbled. "Not for the most part, at least."

"I would never hurt a pearl, okay? That's such a bad look," Amethyst continued. "That's not something I'd ever do."

"Well... thank you for that, I suppose," Pearl answered. "I don't really know what you need, Amethyst... when I told our Diamond that I would care for you, I said it because it was the heat of the moment and I wanted us to get to Prime and save you before it was too late."

"Yeah I'm kind of... starting to notice that," Amethyst said with a chuckle.

"I don't know why, but Pink Diamond wants me to act independently of her. But it's so frustrating. I wasn't made for that. She's asking me to do something that feels so unnatural to me. But she also likes it when I act out... when I speak my mind, or question things. So I do it. Because it makes her happy. But in a way, it's just as though she's ordered me to do it."

"That sounds... rough," Amethyst murmured. She was sympathetic, but unsure of what she could offer as comfort.

"You were really the first time..." Pearl began, blushing. "I mean, the first time I'd ever really, truly wanted something outside of Pink Diamond."

"Really?"

Pearl nodded. "When I saw you, it was the first time I thought of something for myself, completely apart from our Diamond. It came out of nowhere. It even shocked me. Scared me, a little... if I'm being honest. I've never been impulsive before. I always think of things, I always consider the consequences."

Amethyst rested a hand on Pearl's knee and Pearl didn't react to it. Amethyst scooted closer to her.

"I feel like Pink Diamond is trying to..." Pearl trailed off and shook her head. "Maybe she doesn't realize it but... I feel like she's pushing me into something..."

"Something you don't wanna do?" Amethyst offered.

"I'm not sure," Pearl admitted. "I want to please her. I want to be a good Pearl to her. Maybe it's not a bad thing at all. But it feels very unknown." She looked to Amethyst. "Even this, what we're doing now... this is completely new to me."

"What? Talking about what's bugging you?"

"Yes..."

"Do you feel better about it, now?"

Pearl nodded. "I do... oddly enough." She smiled. "I do feel better..."

"Then I can do that for you," Amethyst decided. "Listen to you, I mean. If you need me to."

"It must all sound very asinine to someone like you," Pearl chuckled. "I can... perhaps address your unhappiness with our Diamond. Perhaps she can return you to Prime."

"Ah, no. I was just running my mouth," Amethyst answered, quickly. She let her head rest against Pearl's shoulder, although she moved cautiously in case she scared her again. Pearl seemed relaxed, though. She neither moved closer nor moved away from the contact, which Amethyst hoped meant she was alright with it. She couldn't help it. She'd always been touchy with her fellow amethysts. She was missing their contact and the comfort it provided. In a completely new setting, without the assurance of having her other amethysts by her side, Amethyst felt exposed and uncertain. Pearl was the closest thing to an anchor that she had at that moment. She felt like if she didn't hold onto her, she'd be swept away. She was the closest thing to a friend that she had. "I don't mind being here with you. I mean, as long as I'm not annoying you," Amethyst added.

"You're not annoying me," Pearl answered.

"Mm... okay," Amethyst murmured. She closed her eyes, letting herself relax against Pearl. She would've been content to sit that way for a while but Pearl had other ideas and after only a few short minutes, she began to shift and stand up.

Pearl got to her feet, giving herself a shake off. "Um... perhaps we should go back to those files..." she suggested.

"Right," Amethyst agreed. They returned to the console and Pearl again resumed editing the files. Amethyst contented herself with standing close to Pearl's side, without actually resuming the physical contact.

\--

Pink Diamond returned to the Moon Base in a few earth hours. At the sound of the warp pad activating, Pearl and Amethyst rushed to greet their Diamond. Amethyst didn't know how things went or what the routine was between Pearl and Pink. She just followed Pearl's lead, which mostly left her trailing behind her as Pearl performed her tasks. But every time she felt lost, Pearl would glance her way and give her a grateful smile. And Amethyst felt like she was at least appreciated by Pearl, even if she couldn't offer much in the way of help.

Pink Diamond stepped off the warp pad, looking glum. She barely acknowledged the two smaller gems scurrying around at her feet.

"How was it, my Diamond?" Pearl asked, hopefully. "Did everything go alright?"

"It was fine..." Pink sighed. "I feel drained..."

"Perhaps a bath will invigorate you, my Diamond?" Pearl suggested. She was speaking in a nervous tone, trying to find something to make her Diamond feel better. Pink glanced down at Pearl and Amethyst and she pulled a weary smile.

"Actually... that sounds nice," Pink admitted.

\--

The Moon base offered little in the way of relaxation and an actual bath required another visit to earth. Much like their earlier excursion though, it was an authorized trip and didn't require any subterfuge. It wasn't Pearl's place to tell Amethyst about Rose Quartz, but she had to assume that the topic would come up eventually, assuming Amethyst was going to be permanently staying with them.

Pearl had called the bathhouse in advance to give them time to prepare. By the time the three gems arrived on earth by warp pad within the large building, there was a line of eager spinels ready to service their Diamond.

Pink Diamond followed the employees of the bath house and Pearl and Amethyst followed behind her. Pearl hadn't coached her on how to behave, so Amethyst was again left to simply watch Pearl and mimic her. No one commented on her being there, even if it was likely unusual. Pearl didn't bother looking beyond the point directly in front of her as she walked. The baths weren't a new location for her and there wasn't anything particularly novel about them after so many years. But Amethyst couldn't help but gawk at every turn. The hall they walked through was massive in scale, large enough to accommodate a being more than twice the size of their own Diamond. Amethyst had to tilt her head right back to take it all in. The ceiling was decorated with carved stylized depictions of gem life, rendered in jagged angles. On either side of them were pink marbled columns spaced out wide enough that Pink Diamond could slip between them if she'd wanted to. Beyond them was the outside. The ground was covered in snow shining silver in the moonlight. The snowy landscape angled and rose and fell amid the frosted peaks of mountains. Amethyst slowed her walk, falling further behind Pearl and Pink Diamond. She went to the edge of the hall, poking her head through the columns to get a better look. Above her head was a dark sky dotted with tiny stars. Below, the ground sloped downwards. The bath house was perched right in the middle of a mountain range, completely inaccessible except by warp pad.

"Amethyst!" Pearl hurried to her side. "You could get lost in here. You have to stay close..."

"Ah, sorry... I was just looking," Amethyst answered. She stepped back from the columns. "I feel like I'm not really supposed to be here."

"Mm... certainly not by yourself," Pearl agreed. "But any gem that shows up with Pink Diamond is basically ignored by the staff. They don't question it. Now, come on..." Pearl stooped down and reached for Amethyst's hand. They probably looked like quite a sight, an Amethyst and a Pearl holding hands, but Pearl was quickly learning that it seemed to be the only way to ensure Amethyst didn't wander.

Pearl led her to the room Pink Diamond was occupying. The door was closed to them, but Pearl opened it with a swipe of her fingers on the keypad. The doors slid open and steam billowed out into the hall. Pearl led Amethyst inside and released her hand so she could close the door. Amethyst stepped further into the large room. It was steamy inside, but she could hear running water and the humidity was immense. She stopped and waited, holding her hand out. Pearl finished closing the door and she walked up to Amethyst. She was surprised, but took her hand once again. They continued deeper into the room, eventually stopping in front of a large, gleaming wall. The surface was so smooth that Amethyst could see their reflections in it. Then a cascade of warm water ran down the wall and flooded around her feet. Pearl crouched and then leapt up with Amethyst in tow. They landed at the top of the wall and Amethyst realized they were standing on the edge of a large bath. Pink Diamond was soaking in the bright green water, which was cloudy and obscured her body completely, with only her bare shoulders above the surface giving any indication that she was unclothed. The water was bubbling and steam was rising from it. To Amethyst, it gave off an odd smell. It had a strong earthy smell that tickled her nose. Pink's eyes were closed. Her expression was troubled, but she looked less upset than she had been. She didn't acknowledge Amethyst or Pearl at all.

Pearl let go of Amethyst's hand again. Amethyst curiously stood at the edge of the tub. Even Pink Diamond looked small in the bath. She wondered who else used it. Someone bigger? Or maybe it was sometimes used as a group bath, for more than one gem to occupy.

"How is it, my Diamond?" Pearl inquired.

Pink's eyes opened slowly and she cast her heavy-lidded gaze to Pearl. "Yellow knows about Alpha."

Pearl gasped. Amethyst raised her head, curious. "What's Alpha?" she asked.

"Alpha is..." Pearl began, before trailing off.

"It's another Kindergarten," Pink Diamond mumbled, sinking lower into the water while wearing a scowl.

"Is it new?" Amethyst asked.

"It hasn't been built yet, only planned," Pearl explained.

"The area's been mapped out. It's supposed to go right in the middle of a forest," Pink said, dejectedly. "I've been..." she sighed. "I've been delaying it's progression."

"Why?" Amethyst asked. Neither Pink nor Pearl gave her an immediate answer. Pearl looked away. Pink finally spoke up.

"Because I don't want them to build it."

"You don't want them to build another Kindergarten?" Amethyst asked, her eyes widening.

"It would destroy the land it was built on!" Pink answered. She sat up in the bath. "It would kill everything."

Amethyst wasn't sure she followed it all just then, but she did know that Pink was obviously passionate about what she was talking about. She looked to Pearl for a better explanation but Pearl seemed to be fighting not to look at her.

"I'm sorry, My Diamond..." Pearl said.

"Yellow strong-armed me into resuming the construction," Pink grumbled. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I can't stand up to her at all." She rested her chin on her knees. "I'm such a coward," she muttered, bitterly.

"What's wrong with making more gems?" Amethyst asked.

"Nothing's wrong with it, except that it destroys the planet," Pearl answered. She sat down on the edge of the tub with her legs hanging over the side. Amethyst sat next to her.

"It's your colony, isn't it?" Amethyst asked Pink Diamond. "Tell Yellow Diamond to mind her own!"

Pearl looked at Amethyst with a horrified expression. Pink stared and then burst out laughing. "Amethyst, you can't just tell Yellow Diamond to do things!" she cried, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Oh my stars... you're really so... you don't know anything, do you?"

Amethyst shrugged, embarrassed. "I just think... if it's your colony, you should be allowed to do whatever you want with it."

"It's not as simple as that," Pink sighed. "In a perfect world, maybe. I'm trying to push back against Blue and Yellow. As much as I can. But they go over my head when I don't do what they like. They don't listen to anything I say, and they don't take me seriously at all!" Pink kicked her leg up and brought it down with a violent splash. "This colony was given to me as a test, to see if I'm a good enough Diamond. And so far Blue and Yellow just think I'm incompetent. They think they need to step in and take charge because it's too much for me, even though this is supposed to be an easy colony to maintain. If I tell Yellow off..."

"They'll take the colony away from her," Pearl finished, giving Amethyst a meaningful look.

"Oh..." Amethyst lowered her head. "I didn't know."

"But still," Pearl persisted. "It's just a setback, my Diamond. Don't give up hope yet."

"I can't keep fighting with Yellow and Blue over these things," Pink answered. "I can't just stall for time. I need a different approach. But I have to do something soon, or there won't be anything to save."

"We'll think of something, my Diamond..." Pearl assured her.

"I hope so..." Pink studied the two of them. "What did you two do while I was gone?"

"Ah, we made updates to the human files," Pearl reported, hoping the news would cheer Pink Diamond up.

"Oh... that's nice."

Pearl's face fell. "I told Pearl more stuff to add!" Amethyst stepped in, trying to bring up the enthusiasm. "Stuff about babies! One time I held one!"

Amethyst had Pink Diamond's full attention, then. "What was it like?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Um... they're soft and squirmy. And they're limp. You have to kinda hold them... like this..." Amethyst made a cradling motion with her arms.

"How do you end up interacting with humans so much?" Pink asked. "I thought gems were discouraged from doing it."

"We are, but sometimes we'd end up walking right into their land," Amethyst answered. "They're all over the place. They avoid Prime, but if you leave the Kindergarten you run into them all the time."

"I had no idea..." Pink admitted. "I don't know much about what happens on the ground."

"But this is nice, too," Amethyst said, spreading her arms out. "I mean... I like this place. It's nice. I never got to take a _real_ bath!"

"Oh!" Pink giggled. "Did you two want to join?"

Pearl balked at the idea. "M-my Diamond?" she gasped. Her head snapped to look at Amethyst, who was already preparing herself to jump into the water. Pearl held her back. "Now just wait a moment! Is that really appropriate?"

"There's no one here but us," Pink answered.

"Yeah, Pearl!" Amethyst agreed. She tried to squirm out of Pearl's arms. "C'mon, lemme go!"

"It's alright, Pearl..." Pink said, speaking softer. She set a hand on Pearl's shoulder and Pearl loosened her grip on Amethyst, which allowed the quartz to wriggle away. Amethyst did a running jump, tucking her legs up and splashing into the water. Pink giggled as Amethyst's purple form under the water bobbed around before she surfaced. She'd phased out of her uniform once she'd hit the water. Pearl averted her eyes and stood at the edge of the bath, hugging her arms around herself and stubbornly refusing to interact. She heard splashes and Amethyst and Pink Diamond giggling, which just made Pearl feel left out. She pouted.

"I bet you can make a HUGE splash!" Amethyst said, splaying her arms out to emphasize the scale of it. Pink giggled.

"Maybe I can, but I'd drench this entire room,"

"Oooh!" Amethyst grinned. "C'mon! You gotta do it! Do it!" She nudged Pink's arm while the Diamond continued to laugh.

"Amethyst, you're not a very good influence!" she giggled. “I’d probably knock Pearl clear across the room if I did!” Amethyst snickered at the visual, to further pouting from Pearl.

Pearl lingered at the edge of the tub, reluctantly watching as the two gems lounged in the steamy bath. Amethyst swam past Pearl, kicking her legs to splash her. Pearl recoiled from it even though it barely touched her.

"Amethyst!" she complained. "Don't splash me!"

"Get in the bath, Pearl!" Amethyst bobbed up and down in the water and Pink Diamond came up next to her, the pair of them staring at Pearl. Pearl flushed a shade of green not unlike the color of the water and she looked away.

"Pearl's very shy," Pink explained to Amethyst. "It's alright, Pearl... we're sorry for pressuring you."

"Aw, yeah..." Amethyst agreed, looking guilty. She frowned in an exaggerated way. "I was just so excited to take a bath with you, is all."

Pearl's face was burning hot.

"I can understand that," Pink said, nodding. "You just want to get closer to Pearl, don't you?"

"Yeah..."

Pearl turned back to the two of them, who were bobbing pitifully in the water, looking at her with matching expressions of immense disappointment. Pearl sighed loudly up at the ceiling. She couldn't believe, after all her fuss, that Amethyst was simply going to be a gem that Pink could use to gang up on her with. "Alright," she relented, and she began to shimmy out of her dress, to cheers from Amethyst and Pink.

Pearl didn't jump into the water. It was hot and hot temperatures didn't always agree with her. She crouched down and stuck her foot in, to test. Gingerly, she eased herself down into the water. To her surprise, Amethyst swam up beside her and reached for her hand to help her in. It wasn’t necessary but Pearl decided not to say so. Instead, she accepted Amethyst’s hand and dropped into the water, mumbling a timid "Thank you".  
  
Pearl kept her arms self-consciously around herself as she moved through the water. Luckily the water was cloudy enough to serve as some meager cover. Pink and Amethyst didn’t bother Pearl about being prudish, though. Pearl was grateful for it.

“What do we do now?” Amethyst addressed Pink. 

“Just relax, I guess,” Pink Diamond answered. She resumed her reclined position, letting the water settle around her. “I need to think… about this whole thing with Yellow. Being in the bath helps me think.”  
  
“We’ll keep our voices down for you, my Diamond,” Pearl offered. Pink just hummed in response.

Pearl watched her Diamond for guidance but didn’t receive any instructions specifically on relaxing. So she stayed near the edge of the tub, arms still hugging herself, water up to her chin. She’d gone to the baths with Pink Diamond hundreds of times but it was the first instance where she’d actually been in the bath as well. Pink had invited her once and Pearl had flat out refused, citing protocol and appropriateness as her reasoning. Pink hadn’t ordered it and they left it at that. But having Amethyst in the bath made Pearl feel possessive over her Diamond. The thought that Pink Diamond would like Amethyst more than her was suddenly a very real concern in Pearl’s mind. Amethyst wasn’t rigid like she was. She seemed to adjust to her new circumstances remarkably well. Pearl was envious.

“The water’s... warm, huh?” Amethyst asked as she swam up to Pearl. Pearl reacted by pulling back and blushing. She’d already gotten an eyeful of Amethyst, since the quartz, like Pink, didn’t seem to have any shyness about her body. 

“Yes, it’s fine,” Pearl answered in a clipped voice. 

Amethyst frowned and she started to swim away and go elsewhere. Pearl groaned. What did she have to be anxious about? Amethyst was supposed to be hers to care for, and she wasn’t doing a good job at it at all. She couldn’t risk Pink Diamond being disappointed with her. Moreover... she didn’t want Amethyst to dislike her either. Pearl knew she had to force herself outside of her comfort zone.

“W-wait, Amethyst,” Pearl called. “I, er... um...” Her eyes darted around the rim of the tub, settling on a collection of glass bottles. They were various soaps and washes. Not a requirement for a gem, but something that enhanced the bathing experience to a degree. Pearl had assisted Pink Diamond in washing her back many times. Pink seemed to find it enjoyable. 

“Let me... wash you. A-ah! Your back! Let me wash your _back_!” Pearl stammered. Amethyst stared at her. Pearl waited, anxiously. Then she added, “I-if you want...”

“Okay,” Amethyst agreed. 

“Yes, excellent! I’ll just...” Pearl reached up for one of the bottles, while keeping her other arm draped across herself for some modesty. She touched her hand to one of the bottles, felt it tip, and then tried to grab for it. She missed and it plummeted over the wrong side of the tub and hit the marbled floor with a loud sound.

Pearl winced and Pink furrowed her brows, opening her eyes. Pearl hurried to look over the edge of the tub. The bottle was lying on its side on the floor, thankfully not broken. But it had disturbed her Diamond’s peace. Pearl gave Pink an apologetic look and Pink gave her a worried smile.

Amethyst looked between Pink and Pearl before she sighed and went to the edge of the tub herself, taking one of the other bottles in her hand. “Here,” she said, handing it to Pearl.

“I’m sorry...” Pearl whispered, unsure if she was apologizing to Pink Diamond or Amethyst. She wasn’t typically clumsy. She was making a spectacle of herself. She wasn’t relaxed at all.

With her eyes down, Pearl popped the cork out of the bottle and set it aside. She produced a clean washing cloth from her gem and wet it in the water before pouring some of the thick soap into her cupped hand. She introduced it to the cloth and began to work it into a foamy lather.

“It smells funny. Like the water,” Amethyst observed. 

“Turn around,” Pearl instructed. 

Amethyst did so. Pearl moved in behind her and carefully touched the cloth to her back. Pearl glanced over at Pink Diamond, but Pink was still and had her eyes closed. She was wearing a mischievous little smile, like she was excited about something but also trying to be restrained. Pearl thought it looked as though Pink was trying to give them some privacy. Which was an odd thought to have, considering that all three of them were in a bath together. 

Pearl gently worked the soap into Amethyst’s back. Her hair was short, so Pearl didn’t have to push it aside for access. The soap wasn’t really for cleaning, although it could be used for that. Its main purpose was to remove some of Pink Diamond’s material into the bath water to be collected. It also had mild healing properties, not unlike Pink Diamond’s tears. 

Pearl moved her hands in a circular motion. Amethyst wasn’t nearly as large as Pink Diamond so it took all of a few seconds to cover Amethyst’s back in soap. Pearl reminded herself again to relax. She ran her hands slowly up and down Amethyst’s back, slick from the combination of soap and water. The touches felt more exploratory than anything else but Pearl tried not to make it obvious. She set her hands on Amethyst’s shoulders and began to gently knead with her fingers.

Finally she observed a reaction from Amethyst, who rolled her shoulders back and sighed. Pearl closed her eyes, working her fingers deeper into Amethyst’s shoulders and back. She observed that Amethyst’s form had some give to it. She was soft. Perhaps not such a surprise, since she wasn’t on the battlefield. But still... 

Pearl curiously touched a hand to Amethyst’s hair, which felt as soft as dandelion fluff. She hadn’t expected that. She’d seen quartzes use their hair as a makeshift weapon. Their bodies were as hard as the rock they emerged from. But like all gems, their bodies were only illusions and they were capable of changing the physical properties of their forms. It just struck Pearl as odd that Amethyst would choose to be _soft_ at that particular moment.  
  
Pearl reminded herself that she wasn’t in the habit of pawing quartz soldiers, so she didn’t actually know what their default state of being was. She also didn’t know why she was putting so much energy into wondering about such things.  
  
Amethyst noticed that Pearl’s fingers had slowed and were just flexing. She glanced over her shoulder and Pearl was wearing a distant expression, looking off at nothing. “Okay, uh…” Amethyst spoke, pulling Pearl out of her stupor. “Thanks for that.” Amethyst moved away from Pearl, dunking under the water to rinse herself off. Pearl rinsed off her hands in the water, returning to her place against the side of the tub.  
  
\--  
  
Pink didn’t seem to be in any hurry to return to the Moon Base and no one was going to suggest she did. After the bath, the three gems dried off. Pearl and Amethyst phased back into their typical forms but Pink Diamond put on a robe that had been left out for her. She fastened it around her waist and the three of them exited the bath. Waiting right outside were three Spinels.  
  
“How was your bath, my Diamond? Was it to your liking?” the one in the middle asked.  
  
“Yes, thank you…” Pink replied. “Can you prepare a bed? Um…” She glanced down at Pearl and Amethyst. “I mean, two beds?”  
  
“Yes, my Diamond!”  
  
Two of the Spinels hurried away to complete their task. Within a few minutes, the three of them were led to the room. Pink Diamond collapsed into the bed for her with her arms and legs splayed out. Pearl wandered in behind her with Amethyst. The second bed was smaller, although Pink Diamond’s bed was only “Diamond-sized” and was large for her much like the bath had been.  
  
Amethyst walked over to the smaller bed and pressed her hands down on the surface, testing it. She hoped up onto it. Pink Diamond looked over at Amethyst from her bed. “Do you ever sleep, Amethyst?”  
  
“Sometimes.”  
  
“I thought you might,” Pink said with a smile. She glanced at Pearl as well. “I’m just going to crash here for a while, if you two don’t mind…”  
  
“Of course not, my Diamond!” Pearl answered. “It’s important to take time to rest after the rigors of running a colony!”  
  
“Mmm… okay. I won’t be too long,” Pink murmured. She rolled onto her side with her back to them and curled into a ball on the bed.  
  
Amethyst was sitting upright on the smaller bed, watching Pearl. “You don’t sleep, Pearl?” she asked.  
  
“Why would I? Our species doesn’t require sleep to function optimally.”  
  
“Well yeah, but sometimes you can just do stuff because it feels good. Like take a bath!”  
  
“Mm…” Pearl stepped over to the bed and stood next to it. “I only did that because you and our Diamond were so insistent.”  
  
Amethyst flopped onto her stomach. “If she ordered you to do something, would you have to?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“What if she ordered you to kill yourself?”  
  
Pearl raised an eyebrow. “Amethyst, it’s the same with you. She can order you to do things too, if she wants.”  
  
“Oh yeah… but she doesn’t. Not really. That’s nice.”  
  
“It’s nice,” Pearl agreed.  
  
“Do you like being her Pearl?” Amethyst asked.  
  
Pearl looked confused. “It’s all I’ve ever been. I don’t have any other experience to compare it to. I’m content with my purpose, as much as any other gem.”  
  
“So like, you wouldn’t rather be another kind of gem?”  
  
“I don’t know. I don’t think about things like that,” Pearl admitted. She studied Amethyst. “Is that… something you think about?”  
  
Amethyst shrugged. “I guess I think about how it would be nice to be bigger. But if I was, I wouldn’t be here, so…”  
  
“Oh…”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
They both were quiet for a drawn-out moment. Then Amethyst adjusted herself on the bed and curled up, mimicking Pink Diamond’s position. “I’m gonna sleep… That’s okay, right?”  
  
“Yes, of course.”  
  
“Mmkay. Later.”  
  
Amethyst closed her eyes, letting herself doze off. Pearl remained where she was, standing between the two beds and watched over both of them.


	3. Strange Cravings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three! The formatting is hopefully okay, I went through and tried to fix all the variations. In my word document it all looks consistent but when I place it here, there are different spaces between paragraphs depending on where I was writing (on my cellphone in word vs on my desktop I guess). Oh well, it's all for fun, right?

Amethyst awoke, not much more than an hour later, and panic seized her. She couldn’t remember her dream, only the sudden sense that she was completely alone, that she’d been abandoned somewhere. She shot up in the bed, displacing the sheet that had been covering her. Wide-eyed, she looked all around her, searching desperately for the other amethysts. She’d never woken up without them near her and she groped blindly in the darkness for them. She began searching through the blankets, her panic rising. “Hey? Hello!?” she called, fearfully.

 

Pearl was alerted to Amethyst’s awakening. She’d been sitting at the edge of the raised platform the beds were situated on. Turning, she glanced over her shoulder before getting to her feet. “Amethyst?” she asked. 

 

Amethyst turned her unfocused gaze to Pearl and again the taller gem felt suddenly fearful of her. Amethyst had an almost feral look to her with her eyes wide, her teeth bared and her hair puffed up. But it was a look that quickly vanished as Amethyst fully awakened and recognized Pearl as a familiar face. She wasn’t with the amethysts, but she wasn’t alone, either. “Pearl?” she asked, her voice coming out much more like a squeak than she’d intended. Pearl was concerned.

 

“Oh, what is it?” She worriedly knelt onto the bed and Amethyst crawled over, latching her arms around Pearl’s neck and clinging close. Pearl was confused but she put her arms around Amethyst, trying to soothe her by rubbing her back. “Amethyst, what’s the matter??”

 

“I... I just had a bad dream,” was all Amethyst could get out. She pressed her face against Pearl’s shoulder. With a sigh, Pearl relaxed and adjusted her position on the bed so that her legs were out and crossed, so Amethyst could sit in her lap. The smaller gem didn’t need to be invited. She immediately curled up against Pearl, seeking comfort. Pearl held her securely in her arms and it seemed to begin to calm her. She wasn’t crying, but she seemed very distressed. 

 

“It was just a dream, Amethyst,” Pearl said, calmly. “Just a dream... there’s nothing to fear...” 

 

“Don’t leave me alone somewhere, okay?” Amethyst asked, desperately. “I’ll be good.”

 

“Was that something that happened in your dream?” Pearl asked. “I’m not going to leave you alone anywhere.” Pearl threaded her fingers through Amethyst’s short hair, again noting the softness of it. Then she gently worked her fingertips into her scalp. Amethyst slackened against her, a shaky sigh escaping her. 

 

“Just relax...” Pearl murmured. She was relieved that at least one trait of hers was beneficial to Amethyst. Pearl was well-versed in pressure points and massages. Her function as a Pearl required that she help relieve stress and tension in her Diamond. But she supposed she could apply that skill to any gem. It seemed to work just as well. And she was aware that amethysts responded positively to touch and contact.

 

“Does that feel alright?” Pearl asked.

 

“Mmhmm...”

 

Pearl glanced over at the other bed. Pink Diamond was still asleep and had somehow not been roused from her sleep from Amethyst’s outburst.  
  
“Here, let’s get you back into bed...”

 

“W-wait, Pearl...”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Can you... I mean is it okay if... could you lie with me?” Amethyst asked, hopefully. “Would that be okay…? Would you mind?”

 

Pearl smiled awkwardly. “I can try, but I may not be very good at it,” she admitted. Still, seeing Amethyst so upset and vulnerable had triggered a protective instinct in Pearl.

 

Lying down wasn’t a natural position for Pearl. She eased herself down on the bed with some effort. But once she was lying supine, Amethyst lied down next to her and cuddled in close, unbothered by Pearl’s stiffness. “Thanks...” she murmured. 

 

Amethyst nosed her way under Pearl’s arm and Pearl took the hint and began massaging her scalp again. Amethyst sighed and happily nuzzled in against Pearl’s neck. Within a few minutes, Amethyst had fallen asleep again, comforted by Pearl’s close presence. 

 

Pearl didn’t find it so bad, being close to Amethyst. Although lying down was a bit disorienting to her, she expected to feel smothered by Amethyst and she didn’t. All in all, she didn’t mind lying with her if it was comforting to the gem in her care.

 

Pearl’s fingers idly stroked over Amethyst’s back as she slept. Her softness continued to be a source of fascination to Pearl. She wasn’t an especially tactile gem, but for whatever reason, her fingers itched to touch and squeeze Amethyst’s strange, fleshy body. While Amethyst slept, she kept her touches respectful, limiting them to gentle soothing strokes that Amethyst seemed to appreciate.

 

But a less welcome thought was intruding on her. She imagined kneading Amethyst’s soft body. Squeezing and flexing with her fingers. She supposed she could do it under the guise of performing a full body massage, which any touchy-feely Amethyst would probably greatly enjoy. She could do it, even with her Diamond’s approval. Pink would see it as Pearl taking initiative to bond with her Amethyst. Amethyst would see it as an enjoyable experience that pleasured her. Only Pearl would know the true, selfish purpose of it. 

 

Amethyst would probably like it quite a lot. Pearl felt herself blush at the thought. She considered it seriously. It would be odd to simply bring it up at random, but maybe as a way to relax Amethyst if she needed it, or to reward her for good behavior.  
  
It just seemed like it would be satisfying, touching Amethyst so deeply. Would it be wrong to do something that brought her pleasure as well? Did that make her a bad Pearl? 

 

It probably did. But she reasoned that she was already a bad Pearl. 

 

—

 

After Pink Diamond had woken up and did the appropriate amount of gushing over finding Pearl and Amethyst “snuggling” as she put it, the three of them returned to the Moon Base. Pink seemed invigorated by the trip to the baths, as Pearl had hoped she would be. The first thing she wanted to do when she returned to the base was look at the updated human files. Pearl and Amethyst were happy to show her and Pink seemed excited and enthusiastic by the contributions Amethyst had made.

 

After that, Amethyst shared some of her stories with them in the Mapped Room. Using the orb, Amethyst tried to locate various human settlements to amuse her Diamond. Pink Diamond was fascinated by them. The three of them watched as humans cooked meat over a fire and shared it amongst themselves. They chatted happily to one another as they ate. Pink sat cross legged on the floor of the room, making it look as though she was sitting with the group of humans.   
  
“You really like humans, huh?” Amethyst asked.   
  
Pink looked embarrassed. “I like all organic life…” she admitted. “It’s always fascinated me. But I’ve never seen a species like humans before. They look so much like us. But they’re so different.”   
  
When their mealtime was over, one of the humans took an instrument out and began to play a tune. The rest of the group seemed to become more alert at the sound. A few of them laughed and several got up with Pink, Pearl and Amethyst watching them. The began to dance in time to the music. Some of the seated ones began to clap with the beat. As the others danced, more felt compelled to join in and the atmosphere was joyful.

 

Pink got to her feet, beginning to dance as well. She watched the humans do it and tried to mimic their movements. It was very disjointed, lacking any specific style or form. Amethyst laughed and clapped along to it like the humans did. Pink brought her feet down on the floor to the beat of Amethyst’s clapping. The fire the humans had made cast the room in a flickering orange glow and Pink Diamond’s shadow danced across Pearl and Amethyst as she spun and jumped around, laughing. 

 

Amethyst got to her feet. “Clap, Pearl!” she instructed, taking Pearl’s hands and guiding her into the clapping. Pearl giggled. 

 

“Alright, alright. Go dance.”

 

Amethyst did so. She joined Pink Diamond, dancing next to her at first. Eventually Pink hunched down so she could take Amethyst’s hands in hers. She lifted her off the floor and swung her around before setting her down again. Both Diamond and Amethyst were laughing.  
  
  
Some of the humans had paired off to dance as couples. Amethyst held her hand out to Pink Diamond to ask her to dance. But instead, Pink crouched down and pointed in Pearl’s direction, speaking in a low voice to Amethyst. Pearl’s clapping slowed as Amethyst bounded up to her.   
  
  
“Wanna dance?” Amethyst asked.   
  
  
“Well...”   
  
  
“C’mon, Pearl!” Amethyst urged. She pulled Pearl to her feet by her arm and Pearl stood, standing awkwardly as Amethyst began to dance again. “Don’t you know how to dance?”  
  
  
“Well of course I do,” Pearl huffed. “But this music is so… strange.”   
  
  
“It’s fun! You gotta improvise! Come on, it’s not hard…” She reached for Pearl and Pearl sighed, letting Amethyst lead her by the hand. Pearl cast a self-conscious look around. Pink Diamond had resumed sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. She was clapping in Pearl’s place. Pearl felt her cheeks get warm.   
  
  
“Here, move like this,” Amethyst instructed, swaying her hips to demonstrate. Pearl winced and tried to do the same but she felt awkward. “Not so much, just… here.” Amethyst stepped up to her, glanced at Pearl’s face and then set her hands on Pearl’s hips. Amethyst began to move to the music, trying to guide Pearl into a more natural movement. Pearl was rigid. Amethyst’s attempts to get her to loosen up had only coiled her up tighter.  
  
  
Amethyst’s hands on her hips were very distracting. Not… unwelcome, exactly. But distracting.   
  
  
Then the chime of the Diamond communicator interrupted them. Pink stopped clapping and got to her feet. “Ugh, what now?” she grumbled. With great reluctance, Pink turned off the orb, returning the room to the cold darkness. Pearl and Amethyst looked at each other before Amethyst took her hands off of Pearl. Pearl glanced away from her, shamefully.   
  
  
“Sorry… I’m not a very adaptive dancer, I guess,” Pearl sighed.  
  
  
“No way, you were getting it!” Amethyst insisted with a wide grin. “We’ll try again, later.” Pearl smiled and she pat Amethyst on the head.  
  
  
Pink, Amethyst and Pearl headed up the stairs into the control room and Pink slumped into her chair with a heavy sigh. Pearl took her place at her side. Amethyst stood next to Pearl. The call was coming from Blue Diamond’s base. Pearl glanced at Pink and Pink gave her a grim smile and a nod. With her approval, Pearl activated the call. Blue Diamond’s face popped up in a blue-tinted hologram.   
  
  
“Pink!” Blue Diamond exclaimed, sounding halfway between relieved and exasperated. “Where have you been? I was calling and calling!”  
  
  
“I was at the baths,” Pink answered.   
  
  
Blue sighed. She seemed like she was going to scold but thought better of it. “Very well,” she said. “I only wanted to check on things, anyways.”  
  
  
“Things are fine,” Pink replied, trying to move the call along.   
  
  
“Yellow told me there were some issues with the Alpha Kindergarten…”  
  
  
“It’s fine, it’s resolved,” Pink answered, dejectedly.   
  
  
“I could… speak with her about her actions,” Blue said. “Perhaps… remind her that it’s your colony and she’s not to interfere with it.”  
  
  
“It’s okay, Blue…” Pink answered. Her voice softened. “Everything’s fine.”  
  
  
“Alright…” Blue glanced from Pink Diamond to Pearl and Amethyst. She didn’t ask, though. “Do try to answer your calls from now on, or at least get your Pearl to do it.”  
  
  
“Yes, Blue. Sorry.”   
  
  
The call ended and Pink breathed a sigh of relief. “I guess it’s back to work for us,” she grumbled. “Too bad.”  
  
\--  
  
Pearl and Pink Diamond worked together, doing things that Amethyst wasn’t that interested in knowing about. It mostly consisted of Pearl writing and filing, reading off reports and requests and Pink relaying information to her. Occasionally they’d speak to a gem overseeing some section of the colony. They collaborated well together, like they were two parts of the same mind. Amethyst wasn’t all that interested in the work they were getting through, but she could appreciate how well they worked off each other.  
  
  
She remained by Pearl’s side through it. She didn’t want to interfere with what she perceived to be important work. Pearl seemed content with her just standing there. Every once in a while, Pearl would place her hand on Amethyst’s back or ruffle her hair, as if to give her reassurance that her presence was appreciated. And whenever she did that, Amethyst would perk up and her waning energy would renew.   
  
  
At first, it seemed that the contact was only for the smaller gem’s benefit, as a way to keep her somewhat engaged in something that didn’t interest her. But Pearl’s touches increased in frequency and it made Amethyst hope… that maybe Pearl _liked_ touching her.   
  
  
It had been less than three full earth days since she’d been rescued, although she’d been separated from the other amethysts longer than that and had been left in her cell for at least a couple of weeks if she’d had to guess. But a few weeks and a few days was a maddeningly long time to be away from her kindergarten mates, since she’d never been away from them before then. Pearl had been the first gem she’d had any real physical contact with since the amethysts and so she reasoned it was completely normal to feel attached to her. Amethysts had an imprinting instinct and it wasn’t crazy to think that in the absence of other quartzes, Amethyst might seek out a similar relationship from another gem.   
  
  
The problem was that the Prime Amethysts had all been… quite close. The type of closeness that Amethyst didn’t even know if Pearl was familiar with. The kind of intimacy that gems didn’t seek out with one another very often because it didn’t typically benefit them to do so. There wasn’t a gem equivalent to sex. Fusion was a different experience, and one that was usually devoid of intimacy and mostly used as a battle tactic.   
  
  
Amethyst didn’t kid herself by entertaining the idea of being intimate with Pearl like that. She was content with what she had. Anything was better than pacing that cell for weeks on end.  
  
  
Several long hours into their work, Amethyst decided to push her luck and bump her head up against Pearl’s side. Pearl had been immersed in whatever information she was relaying to Pink Diamond and the contact startled her. She gasped, jumped a little, and then giggled. “Amethyst!” she chided, softly.   
  
  
“Maybe it’s time for a break,” Pink suggested, giving Amethyst a bemused look.   
  
  
Amethyst grimaced. “Sorry. I broke your flow, didn’t I?”   
  
  
“That’s fine, let’s do something else for a while,” Pink said. She stood up and did some stretches. “It never ends, anyways.”   
  
  
“Can I go outside?” Amethyst asked.   
  
  
“Outside?” Pink asked, blinking.   
  
  
“Yeah, out there!” Amethyst left Pearl’s side, running down the platform steps and across the room where she pressed up against the window.   
  
  
“There’s nothing out there but rocks and dust,” Pearl said, walking over to Amethyst and standing next to her. “A few outposts, but nothing interesting…”   
  
  
“I still wanna see it. I’ve never walked around on the moon, before.”  
  
  
“Hm…” Pearl glanced at Pink Diamond and Pink shrugged.   
  
  
“You can go outside if you want, Amethyst.”  
  
  
Amethyst grinned. She looked at Pearl, hopefully. Pearl sighed. “Alright…” she agreed. “But I’m telling you, there isn’t much to look at on the moon.”  
  
  
The three of them wandered down into the lowest level of the base and Pearl formed more appropriate clothes for the occasion: her teal space suit. Amethyst observed the change and then formed an almost identical outfit to Pearl’s, except that it was in her own signature colors of black and purple.   
  
  
“I’ll hang back here,” Pink said as they were preparing to open the door. Pearl turned to her.   
  
  
“You don’t want to come, my Diamond?”   
  
  
“I shouldn’t. Just in case something else comes in,” Pink replied.   
  
  
Pearl gasped. “O-oh! My Diamond! I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think… of course I’ll stay behind and watch over things here! Please go, My Diamond!”  
  
  
Pink Diamond chuckled and she knelt down, leaning close to Pearl. “Go and have fun with Amethyst,” she whispered. “Spend time together doing something besides work.”   
  
  
“B-but…” Pearl protested.   
  
  
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll hold down the fort for a while.” Pink winked at Pearl before gesturing to Amethyst. The small gem was crowded impatiently at the door, waiting for Pearl to join her.   
  
  
“Alright… if you say so, my Diamond…” Pearl relented. Pink grinned and gave her a gentle push towards Amethyst. Pearl opened the door and a strong wind blew outward. She put a hand on Amethyst’s shoulder, as if to ensure she didn’t blow away. Pink waved to them as they stepped out of the base and onto the dusty, rocky surface of the moon.   
  
  
“Be safe!” she called to the pair.   
  
\--  
  
“There are a few landmarks on the moon’s surface,” Pearl was saying. She was projecting a hologram of the moon’s surface in a 3D map. Their location was indicated by a blinking red dot. “There’s a Kindergarten not far from here, if you were interested in that…” She studied the map. “Closer to the South Pole there’s an old temple… it’s too far to walk from here but there’s a warp pad not far that we could use.”   
  
  
“I don’t care, I just wanna get out of the base for a while!” Amethyst answered. She was charging on ahead, full of energy she needed to burn off.  
  
  
Pearl turned off the hologram and walked behind Amethyst, amused. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” she remarked.  
  
  
“Huh?”   
  
  
“At the baths, remember?”   
  
  
“O-oh… yeah.” Amethyst blushed and looked away. “That was… yeah.” She didn’t seem interested in talking about it and Pearl didn’t pry. She let Amethyst lead the way and for what little stimulus the moon’s surface seemed to offer, Amethyst took full advantage of it. She scaled rocks and looked inside craters with enthusiasm. She picked up a small rock she seemed to be fond of, carried it with her for a ways and then handed it to Pearl to hold while she tried to climb up a steep hill. Pearl put the moon rock into her storage area inside her gem. She stood at the bottom of the hill and watched Amethyst struggle to climb, a few feet above her.   
  
  
Amethyst was nowhere near the top of the hill and after a few more minutes of grunting and struggling, she let go and tumbled back down the steep incline. Pearl was at first concerned by the fall, but Amethyst landed on the ground on her back and laughed, unhurt by it. Pearl stood over her, her face coming in to block out Amethyst’s view of the dark sky above them.   
  
  
“You are covered in dust. You know you have to remove every speck of dust before you can go back into the base, right?” Pearl put her arms under Amethyst’s and lifted her to her feet. She knelt next to her and began the difficult task of brushing off the dust. Amethyst stood still, unbothered by it.   
  
  
“You hair is just full of it, now,” Pearl tsked. She fluffed Amethysts hair out, displacing enough dust to make her cough. “We just came from the baths and you’re already _dirty_.”  
  
  
Amethyst grinned. “You’ll have to leave me outside, keep me as an outdoor Amethyst.”  
  
  
“I’m considering it,” Pearl said, warningly. She grinned back.   
  
  
“Where’s the Kindergarten from here?”   
  
  
“Hm… actually, I think it’s just up over that ridge,” Pearl answered, pointing a short distance away.   
  
  
“I’ll race ya there!”  
  
  
“I don’t think I-”  
  
  
“READY, SET, GO!” Amethyst took off, leaving Pearl literally in her dust.   
  
  
Pearl waved her hand back and forth, trying to clear the dust cloud. She made no attempt to race Amethyst and instead walked at her usual pace, eventually coming to stand at the top of the massive canyon that was dotted with exit holes. Amethyst was already there, looking over the Kindergarten. When she heard Pearl walk up, she turned and hurried over to her, running around her in a circle before she gripped Pearl’s hand.   
  
  
“What gems did they make here?!” she asked, excitedly.  
  
  
“I believe they were mostly Moon Quartzes and Agates,” Pearl answered. “They’re long gone, though. The moon’s resources can’t compare to those of the earth. So the moon was mostly left intact, to serve as an observation hub.”  
  
  
“Are there any other gems here besides us?” Amethyst asked.   
  
  
“I wouldn’t think so. There aren’t any gems permanently stationed here. I told you the moon wouldn’t be that interesting.”  
  
  
“It’s interesting!” Amethyst insisted. “Can we go down into the Kindergarten?”  
  
  
“If you like.”  
  
  
They jumped down from the top of the cliff, landing among the holes in the canyon. The shadows on the moon were almost solid black, in stark contrast to the white and nearly illuminated ground where the sun hit. They’d landed in a shadow and Pearl used her gem as a light. She realized she’d lost sight of Amethyst and she looked back and forth, scanning the dark for her.  
  
  
“Amethyst, don’t wander off!” she called. “Where are you?”   
  
  
She began to walk along the holes, searching for the smaller gem. Amethyst was ducked inside one of the exit holes, trying to stifle laughter. As Pearl passed, she jumped out and grabbed her, causing the taller gem to screech.   
  
  
“OH! Amethyst!” Pearl cried. Amethyst let go of her and ran off again, snickering. Pearl jogged after her. “Wait, please be careful!” Pearl called. Again the Kindergarten was still. Pearl looked nervously around her, expecting that Amethyst was going to try and startle her again.   
  
  
The shadow ended and Pearl stepped back out into the light where she located Amethyst immediately. The gem was standing a few feet off with her back to Pearl, looking at something. Pearl wandered up behind her. The wall Amethyst was facing was carved to depict an unknown gem with two sets of arms who was holding the moon in her hand. The style was similar to the Diamond murals in the moon base.   
  
  
“Who’s that?” Amethyst asked.   
  
  
“Hm. I’m not sure… I’ve never seen this etching, before,” Pearl admitted. “Although to be honest, I’ve never actually explored the Kindergarten here…”  
  
  
“Oh, there’s a warp pad over there!” Amethyst went over to the circular platform and jumped onto it. Amethyst ran her boot over a long jagged crack going down the middle of it. Pearl joined her on the warp pad to observe it.  
  
  
“It looks like the warp pad’s been damaged,” she murmured. “This satellite really has seen better days… perhaps it was an asteroid strike. I’ll have to report it to our Diamond.”  
  
  
Amethyst gave Pearl an odd look. “What is it with you and Pink Diamond, anyway?”  
  
  
“I don’t understand,” Pearl said, confused.   
  
  
“I mean like… you guys seem close.”   
  
  
Pearl blinked. “Well… we are.”   
  
  
“Do you like her?”   
  
  
“Of course I like her! What kind of question is that?”   
  
  
“I mean do you _like_ her?” Amethyst clarified. “Like-like.”  
  
  
Pearl’s expression was blank. “Like-like?”   
  
  
Amethyst groaned. “C’mon, Pearl! Do you have romantic feelings for her? Geez!”  
  
  
Pearl’s face lit up in a flush of green. “R-romantic feelings?” she stammered. “Of course not! That would be incredibly inappropriate.”  
  
  
“I meaaan it just seems kinda weird and suspicious that she’d just go get you an Amethyst like me just because you asked,” Amethyst continued, nudging Pearl suggestively.   
  
  
“Our Diamond is very tolerant and compassionate,” Pearl said, softly. “And I think she was just so excited that I wanted something of my own.”  
  
  
“I think maybe she _likes_ you,” Amethyst grinned.   
  
  
“That’s ridiculous,” Pearl dismissed. “A Diamond would never see a Pearl in such a way.”   
  
  
“Why not?” Amethyst asked.   
  
  
“Because I’m not…” Pearl trailed off, frowning. “I’m not a real gem. And I’m about as low a caste as they come, besides.”  
  
  
Amethyst tilted her head to one side. “You’re a real gem, what do you mean?”  
  
  
“Oh I’m not, don’t act like I am,” Pearl answered, dismissively. She started walking again and Amethyst walked alongside her. “Even if Pink Diamond makes me feel like I’m more, sometimes… at the end of the day, all I am is a toy.”  
  
  
Amethyst looked at the ground as she walked. “You don’t seem like a toy to me.”  
  
  
“I don’t even know what you’re supposed to be,” Pearl continued. “A toy for a toy?”  
  
  
Amethyst’s face fell and Pearl realized she’d upset her. She hurried to backtrack. “Th-that’s not what I meant!”   
  
  
“No… you’re right,” Amethyst answered, frowning at her feet. “I’m the lowest gem now, aren’t I?”   
  
  
“You’re not!” Pearl exclaimed. She didn’t want to return to the base with an unhappy Amethyst. She didn’t want Pink Diamond to see that and doubt the responsibilities she’d been entrusted with. “You’re not at all. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to… say it that way. That’s not how I think of you.”   
  
  
“How _do_ you think of me, then?” Amethyst asked. She raised her eyes to Pearl. “If I’m not a toy, what am I? At least if I was a toy, maybe I’d get played with…” She said the last sentence under her breath. Pearl crossed her arms over her chest.   
  
  
“I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean,” she answered. “But I don’t think of you as an object, Amethyst. I think that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”  
  
  
Amethyst shrugged halfheartedly, looking away from Pearl. She kicked a stone on the ground. “I guess…” Amethyst relented.  
  
  
“I know you’re unhappy with me,” Pearl continued.   
  
  
“What? No, I’m not!” Amethyst cried. “I just… I miss the other Amethysts, that’s all. But I’ll get over it…”  
  
  
“I’m not another Amethyst, I know,” Pearl replied, sadly. “I understand that affection comes easier to them. But I’m trying… I’m learning. It may take some time for me. I hope you can be patient…”   
  
  
“I’m not just intruding on your time with Pink Diamond, am I?”   
  
  
“Of course not. I promise you that I’m not involved with her the way you’re thinking.” Pearl felt her face burn at the mention of it. She couldn’t believe she actually had to explain that to Amethyst. It was absolutely unheard of that a Pearl and a Diamond would be involved in such a way. But the fact that Amethyst had even believed it for a minute made Pearl nervous. If Amethyst thought so, did it mean things between her and Pink Diamond appeared inappropriate to outsiders?

 

Pearl held out her hand to Amethyst. “I don’t know how to treat you…”

 

Amethyst took Pearl’s hand, chuckling ruefully. “Yeah, me neither.”

 

“This is very unnatural to both of us.”

 

“Definitely.”

 

“Still… I’m glad you weren’t shattered. After spending time with you, I think it would’ve been a terrible waste.”

 

Amethyst smiled. “Aw… you’re so awkward but sweet.”

 

Pearl blushed. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be…” She felt Amethyst’s grip tighten on her hand. “I like it… I like you.”

 

“Hmm… as much as you like other amethysts?” Pearl asked, teasingly.

 

“More… maybe.”

 

Pearl felt suddenly very tender towards Amethyst and she felt a strange, uncharacteristic urge for physical contact beyond simple hand holding. She gave Amethyst’s hand a tug and knelt down, pulling the smaller gem into a hug that surprised both of them. Amethyst surprised by the abruptness of it, Pearl surprised by the fact that she did it. But once she had her arms around Amethyst, she didn’t feel like letting go of her. She just felt… nice to hold.

 

“Pearl?” Amethyst asked. She put her arms around Pearl as well to return the hug but she did so with some confusion.

 

“Shh…” Pearl murmured. “Let me just hold you a moment?”

 

Amethyst blushed. “You can hold me as much as you want. I like it.” She winced at her own words. They were sincere, but still unbelievably mushy sounding to her. Definitely the sort of comment that would make the other amethysts laugh and tease her in an affectionate way. But Pearl didn’t seem to mind.

 

“Then I’ll do it more often,” Pearl promised. “If you enjoy it.”  
  
  
Wordlessly, Amethyst let her cheek rest against Pearl’s shoulder.

 


End file.
